Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

वृद्धस्यवार्धकं ब्रध्नस्तत्क्षणादपहृत्य वै । ददौ च चारुता हेतुं तारुण्यं पुण्यसाधनम्

Transliteration

vṛddhasyavārdhakaṃ bradhnastatkṣaṇādapahṛtya vai | dadau ca cārutā hetuṃ tāruṇyaṃ puṇyasādhanam

Translation

ब्रध्नः स वृद्धस्य वार्धक्यदौर्बल्यं तत्क्षणादेवापहृत्य, तारुण्यं पुण्यसाधनहेतुं चारुतां च ददौ।

Word by Word

• वृद्धस्य: of the old man
• वृद्धस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वार्धकम्: old age
• वार्धकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ब्रध्नः: Bradhna (the Sun)
• ब्रध्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रध्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्क्षणात्: from that very moment
• तत्क्षणात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्-क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• अपहृत्य: having removed
• अपहृत्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Converb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप-हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having taken away’

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Particle/emphasis)

• ददौ: he gave
• ददौ: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Conjunction)

• चारुताम्: beauty
• चारुताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चारुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• हेतुम्: cause, reason
• हेतुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• तारुण्यम्: youth
• तारुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुण्यसाधनम्: a means to merit
• पुण्यसाधनम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य-साधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying ‘तारुण्यम्’)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vṛddhāditya/Āditya shrine tradition in Kāśī (Bradhna)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Sun-deity (Bradhna) pouring light upon an aged devotee; wrinkles and stoop dissolve into youthful posture, with a haloed transformation scene set near Kāśī’s sacred riverfront.

Characters & Entities

• Bradhna
• Āditya (Sun)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Grace gained through devotion can transform limitation into renewed capacity for dharma and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Vārāṇasī, through the emerging praise of the Sun-form known as Vṛddhāditya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; it supports the fruit (phala) of Āditya-upāsanā introduced in the passage.